Go: A 40-Day Journey To The Never ReachedSample

The Power of the Spoken Word

Not speaking a language makes you appreciate the power of words. I soon realized that to take the gospel to never-reached people required fluency. I could be kind, friendly, and compassionate, but without words, people remain never reached because the missionary living next door was tongue-tied.

Our first Christmas in our communist, Buddhist nation. My children and I crafted homemade decorations. It wasn’t much, but our halls were decked more than the entire town. Our teenage neighbor’s eyes lit up at the sight. 

“What are they for?” She asked. 

“Do you know about Christmas?”

“No.” She replied.

My heart pounded. Four months in country, I knew I couldn’t adequately explain Christmas, but I tried. I said, “Christmas is Jesus’ birthday.”

“Who is Jesus?” she asked.

For the first time, someone was in my home who had never heard of Jesus. It hit me hard. I tried explaining but my efforts fell embarrassingly short. Good intentions don’t change lives; the gospel shared with clarity does.

Romans 10:14 explains:

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

Lives lived to the glory of God are a testimony, but people come to faith in Christ when we explain how. Our neighbor wouldn’t have known about Jesus if we hadn’t told her. The lost cannot be changed by the gospel unless they hear it.

God has given us stories to share and people to reach. We are foolish to think the Great Commission can be fulfilled without the telling of the gospel. Many cannot believe in Jesus because they have never heard his name. All believers are responsible for telling this generation about Jesus. The time for being tongue-tied is over. Jesus is asking you to tell his story. Will you?

Go Tell!

Ask God to help and guide you as you make a plan for telling others. Are you shy? Fearful? A poor speaker? Is there no one around you who hasn’t heard? What are the first steps to building new friendships, preparing yourself, or overcoming your fears? Commit to readying yourself to go and tell. 

Pray

Never Reached People Group: The Bamah of Myanmar

Ask God to reveal himself to the Bamah people through dreams and visions.